Creole Cream Cheese Cheesecake

This weekend, I made Creole cream cheese cheesecake with the Creole cream cheese we brought home from Dorignac’s:I’m going to try to make my own Creole cream cheese this week or next, so I’ll post that later.

I had already promised Av a cheesecake when I realized at the last minute that we had already run out of graham cracker crumbs – so I made do with a little pre-made crust in the pantry – and it still turned out just fine. It wasn’t as ‘authentic’ as I would have liked otherwise, but it really did turn out, and Av didn’t even ask why it wasn’t made in a springform pan!

(if you’re making this in a big 10″ springform pan, double the recipe (there may be a teensy bit left and you could bake the overage in a muffin tin), otherwise this size above is perfect for a ready-made graham cracker crust)

Directions:First, I preheated the oven to 350*. In my Kitchenaid, I mixed together the Philadelphia cream cheese (which wasn’t quite room temperature yet, so I just beat it on high speed until it was nice and soft) and sugar. Once that was together, I added the Creole cream cheese and vanilla on low speed until it was all incorporated and the lumps were out, then the eggs – one at a time.

Next, the filling was poured into the crust, put on top of a cookie sheet (just in case it was going to run over (it didn’t)), and put on the middle shelf of the oven at 350*:

It needs to start being checked for doneness at 1 hour, but it took about 1 hour and 25 minutes to be done. It’s ready when it has a pretty buttery color on top and a nice brown around the edges:It needs to set up, covered, overnight in the refrigerator before it’s sliced.

Av likes cheesecake plain, but you could always drizzle some chocolate or praline sauce over the top (or a fruit topping, too). It turned out really, really nice!This is a popular dessert in New Orleans – I’ve had it at Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House, and they also serve it at the Palace Cafe (their recipe here), Commander’s Palace, and several other places. Yum!